Maine Coon Cat

The Maine Coon cat is a large domesticated cat breed. It has a typical kind of physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is considered as one of the oldest natural breeds that are found in the regions of North America. These are specifically native to the regions of the US state of Maine, where it is considered as the official state cat and it is the place where Maine coon adoption takes place. The Maine Coon is a large and sociable cat, hence it has a nickname, "the gentle giant". It is characterized by a prominent ruff along the side of its chest, rectangular body shape, robust bone structure, a two-layered coat that is uneven with longer guard hairs are present over a silky satin undercoat, and has a long, bushy tail. The color of breeds can vary widely. These are prized for their intelligence and playful nature. For their gentle personality, these Maine Coon can often be cited as having "dog-like" characteristics. Professionals notice that there are certain health problems that are found in the breed, including genetic diseases such as feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hip dysplasia. But the reputable breeders use certain modern screening methods in order to minimize the frequency of occurrence of these problems.

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Maine Coon Cat Description

Let us learn more about Maine coon its habits, personality, diet, and many more.

1. Markings: The Maine Coon is considered as a long or medium-haired cat. The outer coat is soft and silky, although its texture may vary with the color of the coat. The length at head and shoulders is shorter and on the stomach and flanks the length is longer, the lion-like ruff is found around their neck. Minimal grooming is needed for the breed when compared to other breeds which have long-haired, as they have light-density undercoats it is mostly self-maintaining. These coats are subjected to seasonal variation, as the fur becomes thicker during the winter season and gets thinner during the summer.

Maine Coons can be found in any color, these colors indicate crossbreeding. The most common pattern that can be seen in these breeds is brown tabby. All the colors of the eye are accepted under certain breed standards, where the blue or odd-eyes in cats are excepted possessing coat colors other than white.

2. Habits: Maine Coons consist of several types of physical adaptations for survival in harsh winter climates. Their dense fur has the ability to resist water and is longer and shaggier on their underside and the protection is rear when they are walking or sitting on top of wet surfaces such as snow or ice. They have a long, bushy raccoon-like tail that acts as resistance to the sink in the snow and these can be used for warmth and protection from wind and blowing snow by curling around their face and shoulders. These can even be used around their backside like an insulated seat cushion where they curl it and make it as a protector when sitting down on a frozen surface. Large paws, especially the extra-large paws of these polydactyl Maine Coons, can help in walking on snow and these are often compared to snowshoes. Long tufts of fur that are found growing in between their toes can help them keep their toes warm and further these aid in walking on snow. By this, it provides the additional structure to paws without any significant extra weight. These consist of heavily furred ears along with their extra-long tufts where the fur is found growing from the inner side to keep them warmer easily.

3. Personality: Maine Coons are also known as the "gentle giants" and these possess above-average intelligence, this capability makes it relatively easy to train them. They are known for their loyalty towards their family and around strangers, they are independent and don’t act clingy. They are fond of games throughout their lives, they tend to be more clownish when it comes to the male cats, and whereas the female cats generally have more dignity, yet both of them are equally affectionate in nature. Many of the Maine Coons are fascinated by water and some of them say that this personality trait is obtained from their ancestors. These cats are well known for being very vocal. They are well known for their howling or yowling, chirping, trilling, and making certain kinds of other loud vocalizations.

4. Size: In the mid-1980s till the Savannah Cat was introduced by the Maine Coon size it was considered as the largest breed among the domestic cat. The average weight of males is about 5.9 to 8.2 kg, whereas the average weight of females is about 3.6 to 5.4 kg. The height of the adult cats can vary from 25 to 41 cm and sometimes they can reach up to a length of 97 cm, including their tail, these are tapering, and heavily furred, this almost resembles a raccoon's tail. The body is solid and muscular, which is required for supporting their weight, and their chest is broad in nature. Maine Coons possess a rectangular shape of the body and these are slow when it comes to their physical maturity. The full size of these cats normally cannot be reached until they reach the age of three to five years, while other cats can take about one year.

5. Diet: Maine Coons does not require a special diet. These are big cats naturally big that remain high-energy, they are almost like kittens throughout their entire life. All the energy they require is a lot of food to fuel it.

6. Maine Coon Breeders: Most of the breeders of these cat’s family homes where they are taken care of with love and with a lot of attention. Kittens are tested to know about their genetic diseases and disorders to provide them all kinds of vaccinations and these are kept with their mother until they become young naturally. When these adult cats are too old for breeding, they are given for adoption sometimes to new homes.

Maine Coon Cats Types

Maine Coons are available in a wide range of different kinds of colors and patterns, these can be tabby, solid, shaded, or tortie. The most popular one to own is the Tabby Maine Coon pattern.

1. Tabby Maine Coon: Despite their history being wrapped in a mystery, the first breed of Maine Coons that have been found in the 1800s in the regions of Wiscasset is thought to have a tabby Maine Coon pattern. Hence Tabby Maine Coons are considered as the original pattern of Maine Coon. The tabby Maine Coon pattern is the most commonly found pattern of the Maine Coon cat, or kitten available, and also these are the most popular ones. These cats across their fur will either have a mackerel, ticked, or classic pattern. These are available in a large range of different kinds of color classes such as blue-silver-tabby, brown patched tabby, cameo tabby, etc.

2. Orange Maine Coon: These probably come with no surprise that many of them are a fan of these ginger cats and none of the breeds are more royal than compared to the stunning Ginger Maine Coon. Officially these are known as ‘Red Maine Coons’ these can often also be referred to as orange or Marmalade as well. However, these are found in five official colors : Red Classic Tabby, Solid Red, Red Mackerel Tabby, Red Smoked, and Red Ticked Tabby. The fur of the Maine Coons will always be in a length from medium to long and these require a lot of grooming. Typically, a Maine Coon cat that is fully grown will be seven to ten kg in weight, males are bigger than females. Due to their size which is typically larger than compared to other cat breeds they are also known as the ‘dog of the cat world’.

3. Grey Maine Coon: The Maine Coon cats are a remarkably hardy cat breed. They have beautiful thick long hair and a very large physical form which make them recognizable when they enter a room instantly. In the cat world, these are often referred to as the gentle giants, the Maine Coon is one of the largest officially domesticated cat breeds in the world, where only the Norwegian Forest Cat is able to rival their large size. Both male and female grey Maine Coon cats will grow to be extremely long, once fully grown. In fact, one can expect the tiny grey Maine Coon kitten to grow between 48 to 101 cm in length.

General Health Information about Maine Coon Cat

The Maine coon cats are prone to diseases easily, there are genetic disorders and there are diseases which they get caught as they grow.

1. Weight Management: Obesity is a major disease that surprisingly leads to a large number of illnesses which ultimately leads to death in cats. One of the most influential factors is the excess weight which results in the development of diabetes, arthritis, and several other life-threatening diseases.

2. Dental Disease: Dental Disease is one of the most commonly found chronic problems in pets who don’t get their teeth brushed on a regular basis. Unfortunately, most of the cats avoid taking very good care of their teeth, and this probably includes the breed of Maine Coon Cat. Without any extra help and care from the owner, these cats are likely to develop serious dental problems. Dental diseases can start with the food residue in the mouth, these residues get hardened in the form of tartar that is found building upon the visible parts of the teeth, and eventually, this leads to infection of the gums and tooth roots.

3. Vaccine-Preventable Infections: Maine Coons are more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections like it is found in other cats. These infections include rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia, and rabies, where they can be preventable through certain vaccination. The risk of getting these diseases in a cat is high, so the corresponding vaccines given to these infections are called core vaccines. These vaccines are highly recommended for cats. In addition, the vaccines are available for protection from other diseases like the feline leukemia virus (FeLV).

4. Parasites: All the kinds of bugs and worms can get invaded in Coon Cat's body, inside and out. Everything from fleas, ticks, and ear mites is easily available to infest their skin and ears. Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and heartworms can get inside their system in a number of ways: 

• Drinking unclean water.

• Walking on contaminated soil.

• Being bitten by an infected mosquito.

There are chances of getting transmitted by some of these parasites to family members and it is considered a serious concern for everyone. These parasites can cause discomfort, pain, and even lead to death, so it is important to take them for a test on a regular basis.

5. Heart Disease: Cardiomyopathy is the medical term given for diseases such as heart muscle disease. This disease can occur either by a primary inherited condition or through secondary conditions that the other diseases that can damage the heart. The most common form of the disease is called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM. It is a thickening of the heart muscle which is often caused by an overactive thyroid gland. Another example of heart disease found in Maine conns is dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM, this is caused due to a dietary deficiency of the amino acid taurine.

6. Hip Dysplasia: This condition is most commonly seen in dogs, whereas hip dysplasia can also occur in cats, especially in the Maine Coon breeds. Hip dysplasia is an inheritable condition that results in the malformation of the joints located in the hip region and subsequent arthritis. Usually, very few clinical symptoms are found in cats as they grow as an adolescent but these begin slowing down and they act like an older cat within the first few years. Whereas the cats that are infected seriously, however, can show lameness by the age of six months. Pelvic X-rays are required to detect the early infection of hip dysplasia, for undergoing this procedure cats should be sedated or anesthetized. Because the radiograph machine can cause a frightful and stressful situation for the cats. 

7. Renal Failure: Renal failure refers to the inability of the kidneys to perform their functions properly, such as cleansing waste from the blood and regulating the hydration of the body. Kidney disease is commonly found in older cats, but it occurs usually due to the exposure of toxins or certain genetic causes in young cats. Even very young kittens can be affected severely by renal failure if they already have inherited kidney defects. Thus screening for kidney problems at an early stage is recommended, before any anesthesia or surgery, and then regularly throughout life. Severe renal failure is a fatal disease, which is progressive, but certain special diets and providing several medications can help the cats with kidney disease live longer, fuller lives.